How Mobile Beef Processing Works in Alberta

The word mobile can be confusing when discussing beef processing in Alberta. A mobile butcher, mobile butcher facility and mobile abattoir are not the same thing.

Mobile butcher

An Alberta-licensed mobile butcher can travel to an animal owner’s land and slaughter that owner’s animal.

The resulting meat is uninspected. It is for consumption by the animal owner and members of their immediate household and cannot be sold or further distributed.

Mobile butcher facility

A licensed mobile butcher may also operate a licensed mobile butcher facility. This is a premise where meat can be further processed.

A mobile butcher facility may handle:

• Uninspected meat from animals slaughtered by a licensed mobile butcher
• Uninspected meat from an On-Farm Slaughter Operation
• Inspected meat purchased for further processing

The legal status of the meat remains important throughout processing.

Mobile abattoir

Alberta’s abattoir licence can include a mobile abattoir. This is different from a mobile butcher.

Under an abattoir licence, Alberta provides inspection services that allow meat from slaughtered animals and resulting processed products to be sold for human consumption.

Why mobile processing matters

Mobile services can reduce the need to transport live livestock long distances and can provide additional options for rural producers and animal owners.

But producers need to choose the processing route that matches what they intend to do with the meat.

If you intend to sell beef

Do not assume that having an animal slaughtered on the farm means the resulting beef can enter the commercial food system.

Confirm the applicable inspection and licensing requirements before accepting customer orders.